RPlog:The Crypts of Ord Trasi
"Wouldn't dream of it," Johanna mutters, wanting nothing more than to sink her elbow into Danik's face and relish the crunch of smashed cartilage but finding herself too fatigued by the day's events to act on that impulse (and besides, she doesn't have her son back yet), "How far to the crypts? Are you even sure your ancestor is there?" Stupid Danik and his stupid ancestor! For all he knows it's just a hoax, meant to draw them all into a Dark Side trap. The Dark Side is good like that. Good at luring people into untimely deaths and then laughing about it! "How can you even be sure your holocron is the real deal?" Danik probably doesn't want to hear any of this though, so she grows silent again and simply keeps her senses sharp for any more monsters that would pop out of the woodwork (or in this case, stonework). The caves are a little creepy, though. The last time she was in a cave she and Tyler dueled one another with their newly constructed lightsabers. Dareus checks his ammunition count before moving ahead a few steps, and pausing for Cantrell to join him. This time, his blaster is up at the ready for anything. Hopefully, it will be nothing, though. "And so unto the darkness you enter..." he mumbles to himself as he takes a slow first step farther into the cavern; eventually picking up to a decent pace, he casually tells Cantrell, "Well, chances are you killed the only thing that would have been down here..." He cocks his head to one side, "Or you just pissed off a bunch by blowing that one up..." Optimism wasn't exactly at it's high point in this cold place, "Time to earn our paycheques...." He lets out a small laugh thinking about what he just said, it's really all he can do from allowing himself to fear going into the unknown; where no one has been in such a long time. "This place is fascinating..." Cantrell admires the paintings and the attention to details in the architecture, following Danik and Johanna deeper into the complex. He offers Danik a nod to the orders, and pats Dareus in the shoulder to follow. "Let's move, flyboy." He grunts, heading up to the front. "Keep your eyes opened for anything..." Cantrell looks over to the remaining troops and over towards Dareus. "This place may be old, but there's bound to be some trap." He chuckles at Dareus' optimism, or lack thereof. "If I did piss off a bunch of them...good. At least they have a valid reason to kill me." Cantrell says dryly, continuing deeper into the crypts. Danik moves his torch over towards Johanna, allowing him to get a better look at the woman. "We're almost there, dear... I have full confidence I'll obtain the secrets in the tomb. Why would the Holocron lie?" Danik's free hand pats against his pouch, where his Holocron safely rests. Nothing will stop him from becoming a Sith. "You just keep your mouth shut for now. You've proven your value with that creature, but now that it's dead I may not need you as much anymore..." Unless there are more lurking out there. It's a poor threat, for sure. He points the torch back down the path leading to Davin's tomb, watching as both Cantrell and Dareus set forth. "Be careful, Sergeant." However, as both Cantrell and Dareus walk down the narrow, poorly lit path, the floor begins to give way. Cracks form, a hole appears below Dareus's foot, and finally the entire section of the floor gives way, opening up to nothing but pure darkness, just about to consume both Cantrell and Dareus whole if they're not fast enough to avoid certain doom. Figures. Just as they were making progress, too. Now they'll have to mind the gap. "You were saying?" she snorts, expecting Danik to take a header into the abyss (or rather, hoping he will), "I told you the Dark Side likes to lie to anyone with the misfortune of wanting to listen." If she ends up getting killed in here, she's going to come back and haunt Danik. And if he happens to die here too, she'll haunt his ghost, and his mother too. A sigh escapes her. They're going to end up alone in the temple, surrounded by snarling creatures or smashed flat under a wall that fell over, or buried under a cave-in. None of those fates seem really appealing to her. The memory of the Leviathan's jaws ripping the troopers to pieces causes her to shudder. Have they avoided one gruesome death only to meet another far more gruesome one in the depth of the caves? Is there a spot prepared just for them in the crypts as some kind of joke? As the floor begins to crack, Dareus looks at Cantrell with wide eyes, "Oh SHI........" as it fully gives way, Dareus is the first to begin the fall; but since for a moment it seems like the Sergeant is better off, he grabs Cantrell's leg as pieces of the floor fall around him, a few hitting his dangling legs. The blaster, which was in his hands, is quickly abandoned, it being caught by it's own sling, fortunately, but now just being extra weight to fall into the seemingly endless abyss. Just as the Master Sergeant hears Danik's word of caution, it's a bit too late. Hearing the floor crack under him, Cantrell stops his pace, taking a slow gaze at the floor. And then, it happens. "Whoa...sh.." Cantrell doesn't have time to finish his sentence as the ground crumbles, exposing him and the Ensign to nothing but darkness. Feeling something grab onto his leg, it drags him down, forcing the Mandalorian to scramble for something to hold on. The extra weight of Dareus drags the trooper over the edge. Bless the piece of masonry he was able to grab hold of before plummeting onto the ground. The Master Sergeant's breathing is quick and heavy as he dangles from the edge, using both hands to hold the Ensign and himself from the abyss. "I really hate this place." Cantrell sighs, trying to pull himself up, but still feels the weight. Looking down and spotting the Ensign, he looks back up. "Someone give us a hand, damn it." Danik doesn't have much time to pay attention to Johanna and her constant negativity. She's just trying to ruin this for him - that's all there is to it. She just better shut her mouth or else. Or else Cantrell is going to fall into an abyss with Dareus. Kreldin and a few stormtroopers are quick to respond, rushing over to where the gap formed to see the Mandalorian hanging on with his hand, somehow holding his weight and Dareus all at once. Well, he is Cantrell, after all. Danik extends a hand towards the trooper, while a stormtrooper by his side gets to a knee and digs down, grabbing on to Cantrell's arm and assisting Kreldin in lifting the two men up. "Hang on!" Danik says, hauling the trooper up. "SOme help here, Johanna?" Danik asks, pulling the two men out from the gap. Danik steps back from the gap as Cantrell is finally brought back to ground level, and the threat seemingly disappears - for now. Kreldin looks at the hole in the floor, blocking his way to the tomb... "Can you jump, Joh?" Danik asks, looking over to the woman as he takes a few steps back from the hole. "I doubt a little hole can stop us..." Can she jump? Sure. Does she want to? Not really. Would she rather shove Danik into the abyss? Damn straight. As Dareus and Cantrell are pulled to safety, she backs up a single step and gauges the distance. It's not much for her, but whether the old man and armored troopers will be able to cross it remains to be seen. Here's hoping they all slip and fall. "Yeah," Johanna replies, her heavy boots already having made noisy contact with the opposite side after an unnaturally easy leap, "I can jump. Can you?" Her expression communicates all too clearly that she hopes he's going to eat shit on his way over. She actually wouldn't mind so much if the others happened to make it fine, it's mostly Danik that she wants to see shrieking on his way into the blackness below. It's a little disappointing that the gap isn't bigger! Dareus dusts himself off a bit and cracks his neck, "Ok, quality craftsmanship on the floor here...." He looks at Cantrell, "Sorry about that Sergeant....it was your leg or a brick that is going wherever that ends..." Takin a few steps over to the edge of the abyss, he looks back in, "That would have really been a shitty end to this day..." He takes quite a few steps back, and before starting his run to jump over the large hole; he looks as though he's thinking about even bothering to leap back over what just about killed him. Cantrell's armor scrapes along the floor as he's hauled up, along with the dangling Ensign grasping ahold of his foot. It takes a few of the troopers to haul the relatively large Mandalorian and Dareus up. Getting back up to his feet, he offers a nod to the troopers, and pats Danik on the shoulder. "Thanks." He says to Danik, taking a look back down at the hole. Man, that would've been such an anti-climatic end to the Master Sergeant's career. "It'll take more than that to take me out of this realm of exsistance." Backing a few steps away from the hole, the trooper races and leaps over the hole with much of his might, landing on the otherside with a roll. "I really hate this place." He takes one last look at the hole before moving ahead a bit to scout. The gap isn't too far, fortunately. Enough for Danik, who is happy he has stayed in shape; for his age, he cna even give someone like Cantrell a run for his money. "Ladies first," Danik says to Johanna, watching as Cantrell and the other surviving stormtroopers make the jump over. Once Johanna is on the other side, Danik braces himself and sets off, and leaps over the gap. He lands on the other side with a roll, but is quickly on his feet with the help of a nearby stormtrooper. After landing on the other side, he pulls his Holocron back out and examines the map provided to him: Davin's tomb is just a few meters away. "We've reached the end of this journey, ladies and gentlemen," Danik says, stepping up to the entrance of the Tomb: two heavy stone doors, marked by the emblem of the Brotherhood of Darkness. Kreldin rests his hands against the emblem, and closes his eyes. "Gentlemen.. a hand?" he asks of a few nearby stormtroopers as he starts pushing the stone doors. The stormtroopers join in, lending their strength in moving the doors open to gain admittance to the Tomb. A hand? How about a foot up your ass? Johanna cannot help the sarcastic thoughts that flood her brain as they finally reach their destination, a sense of dread growing within her at the sight of the stone doors. Whatever lies beyond there is something not meant to be seen by her. She knows it. Their proximity to the tomb of Danik's ancestor makes her uneasy, the Dark Side whispering terrible things to her. The pilot rubs at her eyes for a moment as if pained by a headache. "Hold on," she offers, moving past two of the stormtroopers and finally Danik himself to force the doors open without ever having touched them, "There. You're free to explore. Only be mindful that what you find may not be what you bargained for." If she could dawdle outside while the others go in, she would. Screw it. We're almost done in this deathtrap; might as well see what's inside this weird box of hell. He jumps across the gap, and resumes his spot over by the Grand Admiral; standing there silently as he waits for someone to go in. By now Dareus was really wondering why he was even here, he really didn't have any skills the Admiral needed; but oh well. His arms cross themselves in front of his chest, and takes a deep breath; and eyebrow goes up as Johanna throws the doors open. Seems a little bit showy, even for a Jedi....then again, this place is making everyone a little weirder than usual. "So this is it..." Cantrell watches the stormtroopers help Danik push the door open, unslinging his rifle from his shoulder. "What's in there?" He asks Danik, taking the brief break moment to remove his helmet and wipe the sweat accumulated on his face. The door budges, a little - but it's Johanna's telekensis that really gets the job done. Danik doesn't thank her, though. Instead, he just ignores everyone around him and steps inside - well, he doesn't ignore everything. Cantrell's question rings in his mind. What's in there? What's in here? What? There's absolutely nothing inside. It's empty, save for a few torches lining the walls. The tomb that Davin Keldan once resided in is gone, and any secrets that could help Danik on his path are gone. Whether or not they were ever there in the first place is unknown. The Tomb could have been looted at some point. It has been over a thousand years. Or it was just a complete lie. Whatever it is, it's enough to send Danik on a path of rage - his hands clench into a fist, and he's immediately turning around to look at his stormtroopers and Johanna. "Johanna! Bring her to me, Cantrell!" Danik says, pointing to the Jedi. "Right now!" Who best to take his rage out on than Johanna? "Where is it, Johanna? Why is it empty?!" Someone has to pay. "How should I know why it's empty," Johanna replies, torqued by Danik's outburst when she's clearly had nothing to do with the state of the Davin's crypt, "Maybe that's the point. I told you that you might not find what you'd been thinking you would. That's how the Dark Side works. Don't you understand?" Of course he doesn't, he can't... at least not yet. That time will come soon enough, however, and she takes a step back. "Whatever the reason, it's hardly my fault. I don't even know what you were hoping to find." She glances to Cantrell, wondering whether he'll hesitate in obeying the order. Probably not. It doesn't matter that she could snap his neck or do all sorts of other unpleasant things to him if pushed around, he'll follow Danik's instructions even if it means getting crushed in the process. Not that she plans on killing anyone here. There's still the matter of Danik having her son. "Hasn't it been about a thousand years anyway since he died? Anything could have happened in the meantime." She tries to talk Danik down from his rage. Dareus knows better, now he's on the warpath, and just stays the hell quiet. This is one time it's gonna damn well pay to shut up. He looks to Cantrell, and nods his head toward the Admiral as if to encourage him to try to calm him down. Standing silently, definately not wanting to speak, he leans his blaster up against his right shoulder, and watches the Grand Admiral scream at Johanna. Not like he could really do anything if he wanted to anyway. Great...just great. All that dying and fighting and whatnot and the crypt itself is empty. With a sigh of disappoint, not for himself but for his friend, Cantrell watches Danik fume about the unfortunate discovery, resting his rifle against his shoulder. He had a feeling that might happend, but he was optimistic that Danik would find what he wants. Hearing Danik's orders, Cantrell nods, gesturing two of the remaining troopers towards her, leveling his rifle blaster towards her. "I'd cooperate, m'lady, not only for your sake, but also your child's sake." Cantrell's voice heeds the flat, mechanical warning, gesturing for her to move forward. "Bring the Jedi forward." He barks the orders to his underlings. Why is this happening to him? It's not fair. Not fair at all. He doesn't deserve this - the power is rightfully his. It should be his. He has to have it. His blood continues to boil as he watches Johanna brought over to him, ignoring her words of reason. She's a Jedi, and it's the Jedi fault. No matter what. That's his rationalization. The Jedi will pay. He steps up to Johanna, being held by two of the stormtroopers, and with his right hand slaps her across the face. Rather hard, as well. He then shoves the Holocron into her face. "Unlock the secrets for me, Johanna! Or Etiel will die, I swear," he says, and raises his hand to deliver another smack - but something stops him. A disturbance in the Force again? Yes. And not only that, but there are noises too. Lots of noises. The ceiling to the tomb rips open and down come Terentatek - lots and lots of Terentatek. The two legged Sithspawn, vicious and hungry, swarm the tomb, preparing to converge and prey on the Force-sensitive beings: in this case, Danik and Johanna. Now there's no time to sit around and beat up Johanna; already a stormtrooper is down and dead, and the eight others are forming an attack pattern to hold off the swarm. But it isn't enough. There's just too many. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE." As the creatures begin to fall from the ceiling, what they were is the last thing on his mind. He hears the echo of the Grand Admiral's order, and begins to turn to run, ensuring that Danik gets on his way as well; he was not going to leave him behind, "Admiral, you first...." He looks to Cantrell as the other Stormtroopers begin to follow that order, with a speed and agility that would convey happy compliance with the order, "Remind me not to take a trip here on my next leave..." Given what happened with some of the other creatures, he doesn't fire a shot, but concentrates on watching so no one falls behind, or gets left; especially Danik, or the Jedi; they were all here to protect them, and it would be a bad thing to have them die now. He keys his comlink to the ship, and yells loudly so it can be heard over the noise of falling debris and the creatures howls "WHIPPING STAR....THIS IS DAREUS, PREP THE SHIP FOR LAUNCH, WE MAY NEED TO EVAC QUICKLY..." Without waiting for a response, he lets holds his blaster again with both hands, and begins to run as fast as he can towards the doors. "ADMIRAL, I DUNNO HOW FAR THEY'LL FOLLOW, THE SHIP SHOULD BE READY BY THE TIME WE'RE ABLE TO RUN THERE...." Just as thought things couldn't get any worse, there comes a bunch of Terataneks. "Great..." Cantrell turns over and sees the massive horde of creatures, one just ripping a trooper to pieces. This might be it for the party. "Give the Admiral some cover...let's show what we're made of!" Cantrell growls, leveling his ST-II and answering the creatures roar with a roar of his own, courteousy of his rifle. Hearing the Admiral, he pushes a fellow trooper away, and begins to high tail it out of the Temple. "I really...REALLY hate this place." Crypts of Ord Trasi, The